The present invention relates to a cutting device and, more particularly, to a device for cutting mushrooms, especially champignons, into slices.
Mushrooms are almost exclusively cut into slices by use of a kitchen knife but the geometrically complex shape, the inhomogeneous toughness distribution, and the fragility of the mushroom call for a high degree of skill if smooth mushroom slices are to be produced. While it is true that many cutters have been proposed which include two pincers arms articulated together at their end or rear portions thereof, with the cutters being constructed to be held in one hand and compressed against a return spring, with one pincer arm having, at a forward end thereof a cutting grid aligned with a receiving depression at the other pincer arm, these proposed devices are suitable for cutting, for example, hard-boiled eggs, boiled jacketed potatoes, beets and similar foods. However, attempts to cut fresh champignons with these proposed devices produce only very irregularly shaped slices whose edges have many tears or frayed places, and frequently the slices break up into several pieces because the mushroom is squeezed or pressed too hard during a cutting operation.
It has also been proposed, in order to obtain better results, to use a cutter with a flat support for the food to be cut and, mushrooms, when cut along the axis, are placed on the flat support or holder with their smooth cut surfaces against it, with the mushroom halves then being cut into groups of slices by the cutting grid. However, this produces only mushroom slices cut in half which is generally undesirable.
The aim underlying the present invention essentially resides in providing a device for cutting mushrooms, especially champignons, into smooth slices with a complete shape of the mushroom, which device is utilizable for mushrooms of considerably different sizes.
In accordance with the present invention, the cutting device includes two pincer arms articulated together at the rear end portions thereof, with the cutting device being adapted to be held in one hand and to be compressible against a turn spring, and with one of the pincer arms having at a forward end thereof a cutting grid aligned with a receiving depression on the other arm. The receiving depression includes a round, trough-shaped construction suitable to accommodate a champignon resting on its cap and the cutting grid is composed of sharpened stainless steel blades, wherein both pincer arms have gripping projections or handles extending forwardly beyond the cutting grid and receiving depression so as to enable the arms to be gripped or grasped and compressed by the other hand of the user of the cutting device.
By virtue of the features of the present invention, it is possible to apply the cutting pressures with both hands thereby permitting a very delicate touch and also allowing relatively tough mushrooms to be cut.
According to the present invention, the mushroom is sliced while resting on its cap so that the cutting grid first cuts the stalk of the mushroom which has a relatively high degree of toughness. In this connection, in order to prevent the mushroom from being crushed or broken the cap of the mushroom must rest fully on the bottom of the receiving depression in a central area thereof, so that, preferably, in accordance with the present invention, the receiving depression is a bottom which is only slightly concave and extends over more than two-thirds of the diameter of the receiving depression opening, and has steep edges adjacent thereto. The sides and flare of the trough-shaped receiving depression is selected to match the largest commercial champignons, so that the largest as well as the smaller mushrooms will have a reliable support in a central cap area thereof.
According to the present invention, in a first portion of the cut, in which the stem of the mushroom is cut, only a few blades are used and, preferably, the cutter has an odd number of blades such as, for example, seven blades spaced approximately 5.5 mm apart. Since the mushrooms are normally placed centrally in the receiving depression, stems less than 11-12 mm in diameter will be cut only by a single blade so that even small mushrooms will yield unbroken slices with the complete shape of the mushroom.
As the cutting process proceeds, the blades pass through the soft underside into the cap of the mushroom whereupon the cap, depending on the toughness thereof, is squeezed more or less firmly against the bottom of the receiving depression until the blades slice through the skin. To prevent mushroom slices from fraying at their edges in the cap area, according to further features of the present invention, the blade receiving grooves in the depression area are constructed so as to be narrower than the mushroom support bars located therebetween, each of which has a broad upper side that matches the contour of the receiving depression. The grooves are generally substantially V-shaped in cross-sectional configuration, with the side walls of the grooves all lying in the same plane. Consequently, the grooves in the central area of the receiving depression are very narrow while, at their edges, they are wide enough to be easily cleaned.
The cut mushroom slices must then be placed in a pan or other container in which they should lie individually, that is, the mushroom slices should no longer stick together. According to further provisions of the present invention, the cutting blades, when the frame of the cutting grid strikes a limiting stop, sink into the grooves, while the rear or back portion of the blades are still disposed between the cut slices of mushrooms. Consequently, the slices of the mushroom are still held by the cutting blades after the cutting operation and, by tipping out the cutter like a spoon, the mushroom slices can be dropped directly into the pan or the like, whereupon a cluster of mushroom slices fall apart and the mushroom slices can drop individually into the pan or other container.
By virtue of the provision of the limiting stop of the present invention, it is ensured that the cutter blades themselves do not strike the walls of the receiving depression, which prevents the blades from becoming prematurely dull. It has been experimentally determined that using very sharp blades for this application is extremely important.
In accordance with still further features of the present invention, provision is made for the cutting blade frame to have a round frame portion which fits around the receiving depression when the cutting device is closed, with the cutting blades having one end fastened to the rear curved area of the blade frame in such a manner that the cutting blades have forward ends thereof fastened to an underside of the handle projection which is approximately the same width as the cutting grid. A curved bead is advantageously formed on the underside of the handle projection and is approximately parallel to the rear curved area in which the forward ends of the cutting blades rest and which is aligned with the matching stop on the upper side of the handle projection of the other pincer arm. By virtue of such a construction, the cutting blades may be of the same length thereby resulting in a considerable reduction in manufacturing costs.
It is also possible in accordance with the present invention to fashion the receiving depression into a frustroconical bottom piece which has a larger base on a substantially straight pincer arm. By virtue of such a construction, the cutting device may be placed on a table or other supporting structure with the arm holding the receiving depression on the table and also used as an appliance on the table thereby permitting especially tough foods to be cut or sliced.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for the purpose of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.